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Efforts to save building materials stymied

Before and after shots as of Sunday. Some smaller trees were removed to other schools, but the big elms were chopped up to be discarded.

Demolition of Connaught has begun. The Cathedral Area Community Association and the Cathedral Village Business Association have written letters to the school board about retaining bricks for neighbourhood projects, but so far there has been no progress in obtaining the bricks. There will be a design open house Wed. Oct. 1 at the former Wascana School to discuss the promised replacement.

Some considerations that have come up in public meetings and gatherings of the past couple of years include:

Use of period windows and possible restoration (I guess reproduction, now) of the historic front entrance

Compact, not sprawling, design

Retention of green setback from streets

For what it’s worth, during the Centennial celebration interviews, a number of people fondly remembered the ‘big side’ and ‘little side’ playgrounds as a unique feature they liked

Keeping the idea of open neighbourhood space, not space enclosed/surrounded by a building

Retention of trees and public art that are on the grounds

Obviously, a visual fit with the rest of the neighbourhood (bricks, etc.)

Use of natural materials (not synthetics and composites)

Regarding interior elements, parents at Douglas Park and Arcola schools have alerted us to design problems, in terms of unhealthy noise levels and sense of discomfort for students

We’ve also been alerted that parental and community consultations meant very little to the final designs of other schools, so process concerns would be valid to raise early on